Undergraduate Admissions

History

History majors have been an integral part of the University’s ongoing archaeological dig at the Early Bronze Age site near Khirbat Iskandar in Madaba, Jordan. The project works closely with the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan. Currently, the project is sponsored by a consortium of three universities: Gannon University, Lubbock Christian University and McMurry University.

Programs in London are also available through the Washington Center. In addition to the Washington Center, our professors lead students on research trips to presidential libraries, the Library of Congress and the Holocaust Museum, as well as cities around the world, such as Prague, Budapest, Frankfurt, Berlin, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Amman, Istanbul and Cairo.

History majors have studied law and history in graduate schools across the nation and the world.

You Will Learn

Gannon University history majors are rich with the benefits of an innovative education, a global worldview and community ties. International travel, research at world-class archives, archaeological digs and professional internships enable history majors to encounter the world. Through these experiences, history majors will build skills and resumes that lead to meaningful careers. Studying history and serving others will enable students to move from service-learning to public service.

You Will Experience

Earning a history degree is not a spectator sport. Through the Washington Center, history majors have the opportunity to live and work in the nation’s capital. Internship opportunities include:

Federal Trade Commission

Ford’s Theater

Library of Congress

National Endowment for the Arts

Smithsonian Institution

Social Security Administration

U.S. Department of Labor

In addition to the Washington Center, students will travel, research, and experience all that Erie, the U.S. and the world have to offer. In the recent past, students have traveled to Jerusalem, Istanbul, Berlin, London and across North America, Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Students have researched at the Library of Congress and the FDR Presidential Library. Students have also published their work in leading undergraduate journals in the U.S. and the English-speaking world. Through these experiences, students will gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to navigate postgraduate life and find an exciting career about which they are passionate.

You Will Achieve

Students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history have the analytical skills, perspective and scholarship required for a wide variety of occupations and vocations after graduation. Such opportunities include, but are not limited to, the following:

diplomacy

graduate studies

higher education

international development

journalism

law

museum curation

public policy analysis

writing

You will Study

The history program offers courses covering the remote and recent periods of history, and stresses American, European, and non-Western history. History majors take various core and elective courses including:

HIST 307: History through Arabic Literature

This course aims to give a general survey of literary works written in Arabic from the sixth century until the present and their links to historical developments vital to understanding Arabic and Middle Eastern/North African history. We will explore the earliest prose tradition, popular literature such as the Arabian Nights, and the renaissance (al-nahda) in the 19th century as well as the emergence of a modern tradition of Arabic literature.

HIST 391: History Through Biography and Fiction

This is a writing- and reading-intensive course. We will read and intensively discuss biographies/memoirs and historical fiction. Students will travel to the Library of Congress where they will research and then write their own original work of historical fiction or biography.

LBST 383: Good and Evil: Reconciling the Holocaust

In this cross-disciplinary course students will examine the reality of the Holocaust from multiple historical and theological perspectives. In May, faculty and students will travel to Poland and Prague. In Poland, students will visit the cities of Warsaw and Krakow, the Auschwitz and Treblinka death camps and various Jewish and Polish cultural sites. (team taught with Department of Theology)

Liberal Studies Core

The Liberal Studies Core Curriculum is one reflection of Gannon University's commitment to
its Catholic identity. The Core's design offers students a defined, integrated, shared
experience as the foundation for their undergraduate program.

You Will Earn

Salaries in the field vary depending on the location and type of organization. Students who continue on for graduate degrees can expect to increase their earning potential beyond what is listed below.

• Starting salary: $39,700
• Mid-career salary: $71,000

All salary information is compiled from data gathered from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov) and/or PayScale
(payscale.com).